Safety bung



Patented relug. d,

@noses maneras, @a seaman, Yoan.

sanary ienne.

Application filed January 5, Y1925. serial No. 49e.

To @ZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE Doruninn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buifalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented 'new and useful Improvements in Safety Bungs, of which thefollowing is a specification.

-This invention relates to improvements in the safety bungs used inconnection with wine barrels, casks, and the like.

@ne of its objects is to provide a simple, compact and inexpensive bungof this charaotervwhich will Aautom'ati'call'y relieve excess pressure.in the barrel or cask and prevent the same from bursting.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide the bung with reliableand convenient means for detachably retaining the relief valve in place.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a safetybung embodying my improvements. Figure 2 is a vertical section thereof.Figure 3 is a top plan view of the same with the retaining yoke removed.Figure 4 is a detached perspective view of the retaining yoke.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

The body 10fof the bung is of the usual tapered form so that when driveninto the bung hole 11 of the barrel 12, it will be held therein byfriction. Extending axially through the bung-body is a passage 13 havingan upwardly-facing valve-seat 14 near its upper end. A ball valve 15 ispreferably arranged in this passage and adapted for movement toward theseat for controlling the relief passage of the bung. This valve isnormally held against its seat by a spring 16 located in the enlargedouter end of said passage and bearing at its inner end against the outerside of the valve, while its. outer end bears against a retaining memberor yoke 17 which is constructed to detachably interlock with the upperend of the bungbody.

rThe retaining member or yoke preferably consists of a disk-like centralportion 18 having a vent or perforation 19 therein in line with thebung-passage 13 and a pair of oppositely-extending arms 20 radiatingfrom the central portion and terminating at their outer or free ends indownwardly and inwardly bent locking lips or hooks 21. For the purposeof receiving this retaining yoke,

the top of the bung-body 10, together with the 'adjoining sides thereof,is provided with a transverse groove or recess 22, those parts of thelatter in which the yoke-arms 20 and its hookedfastenings are arrangedbeing of .sufficient width, as shown, to permit a turning or shifting ofthe yoke to either its locked or unlocked position. The locking lips 21of the yoke are adapted to releasably engage downwardly-facing shoulders23 formed in dian'ietrically opposite sides of the bungbody and in linewith its recess 22. To release the retaining yoke, the same is turnedinto alin'e'ment with recesses lornotches 24 located at one side of thelocking shoulders 28 and of the proper depth to permit the dis'-placement of the hooked ends 21 of said yoke when it is lifted from thebung-body.

By seating the arms 20 and the depending hooks 21 of the yoke in thegroove 22 of the bung-body, there are no projecting parts of any kindliable to catch on ones clothing or otherwise interfere with personsworking around the barrels or casks equipped with the improved bung.

As a whole, this bung is manifestly simple in construction, its valvecan be readily and conveniently applied and removed, and no separatefastenings or tools are required for effecting such application andremoval.

rl'he bung-body is preferably made of rubber, but it may be constructedof any other suitable material.

I claim as my invention 1. A safety bung of the character described,comprising a body adapted to be placed in a bung-hole and provided witha longitudinal passage containing a. valve-seat and at opposite sides ofits large end with locking shoulders, a valve arranged in said passageand engaging said seat, a removable yoke extending across the large endof said body and provided with end-fastenings interlocking with saidshoulders, and a spring in said passage interposed between said valveand said yoke.

2. A safety bung of the character described, comprising a body adaptedto be placed in a bung-hole and provided with a longitudinal passagecontaining a valve seat and at opposite sides of its large end withlocking shoulders, a. valve applied to said seat, a removable retainingyoke extending across the large end of said body and havingoppositely-eXtending arms terminating in hooked-ends which interlockwith said esame locking shoulders, said body having recesses at one sideof said shoulders for the passage of said hooked ends, and a spring insaid passage interposed between said valve and said yoke.

3. A safety bung of the characterfdescribed, comprising a body adaptedto be placed in a bunghole and provided with a longitudinal passagecontaining a valve-seat, a valve applied to said seat, a rotatableretaining member applied to said body and including a vented centralportion substantially in line with said body-passageandoppositely-extending arms radiating from said central portion andterminating at their ree ends in downwardly and inwardly-l turnedlocking lips, the bung-body being provided at opposite sides withdownwardlyf facing locking shoulders .tor said lips and recessesV at oneside of the shoulders for the passage of the lips, anda spring in saidpassage interposed between said valve and the vented central portion ofsaid yoke.

top and adjoining sides, a valve applied to saidseat, a retaining memberarranged in the transverse recess of the bung-body and including aperforated central portion and oppositely-extending arms terminating attheir outer `ends in inwardly-turned locking lips, the bung-body beingprovided at its sides with downwardly-'facing locking shoulders in linewith its transverse recess for receiving said lips, and upright recessesat one side of said locking shoulders for the passage of the lips, thoseportions of the transverse body-recess containing the arms of saidretaining member being wider than said arms to permit rotation oftheretain'- ing member, and a spring insaid passage interposed between saidvalve and the central portion of said retaining member.

' y GEORGE DOBMEIER.

